Chapter Summaries

Paul reassured Schroeder that political instructors would advise but not command military operations, then discussed reforming rural justice with Thomas. He ordered the creation of Circuit Tribunals and required the Lord’s Tribunal to review every death sentence.

• Schroeder pledged the army's obedience, and Paul clarified that Military Chief Officers would retain command over marching and combat.
• Paul asked Thomas whether the Folk Tribunals should be restricted or abolished after Fubinen abused his authority in a farmer's case.
• Thomas explained that the Lord's Tribunal lacked enough judges to handle all rural cases and warned that removing local tribunals could leave disputes unresolved.
• Paul decided to expand the judiciary, separate the Lord's Tribunal from the Government Affairs Council, and establish Circuit Tribunals to inspect rural cases.
• Paul ordered that every death sentence be reviewed by the Lord's Tribunal in Lakeheart Town before judgment.

Russ Hayden led a public trial in Totol Village against Fubinen for seizing fallen soldiers’ compensation fields and other crimes. Fubinen and several accomplices were executed, his clan was dismantled, and his lands were slated for distribution to poor villagers.

• Russ Hayden waited for the Department of Public Safety force and army observer Makarov before surrounding Fubinen’s mansion.
• Hayden announced that Fubinen would face a public trial, and villagers watched as Fubinen and his household were brought out.
• The judge listed Fubinen’s crimes, and Hershey urged villagers to report their grievances.
• The judge offered larger shares of Fubinen’s land to those who exposed his crimes, prompting villagers to reveal further offenses, including crimes involving loss of life.
• Fubinen and several bloodstained accomplices were executed, while other household members were punished or dismissed.
• Hayden announced plans for a Circuit Tribunal and land distribution, and news of Fubinen’s downfall spread across Arda and beyond.

Kevin received a letter from home and read accounts of how Paul Greiman’s reforms had changed Northwest Bay. Hicks’s letter described the territory’s expanding research and education, and Kevin was startled by its account of pharmaceutical chemistry.

• Kevin thanked an Auldo merchant for bringing his family’s letter from Northwest Bay and paid him despite his refusal.
• Kevin opened the letter and found one message from his father and another from Hicks, his former neighbor and childhood companion.
• Kevin read his father’s heartfelt letter and reflected on how Paul Greiman’s night schools had helped his parents learn to write.
• Hicks described Northwest Bay’s economic growth, migration, schools, and the Earl’s investment in chemistry and research.
• Hicks explained how Wade’s medical reform movement had spurred pharmaceutical chemistry, including experiments with unusual ingredients, and Kevin’s heart jolted as he read.

Kevin read letters from home about Northwest Bay’s laboratories, expeditions, and new limits on lending interest, then visited his teacher in the Gabella Imperial Capital. After passing a test on Holy See history, he learned that Aldrich had secured him a part-time position at the Royal Archives.

• Kevin read that Lord Greiman had established five laboratories and sent fleets to explore and determine whether the world was round.
• Kevin learned that the Lord's Tribunal had punished a local gentryman and set a ceiling on private loan interest rates.
• Kevin put away his family’s letters and went to visit David Aldrich at two in the afternoon.
• Aldrich tested Kevin on the history of the Holy See, and Kevin answered well enough to pass.
• Aldrich offered Kevin a keeper’s position at the Royal Archives, and Kevin eagerly accepted the news.

Aldrich warned Kevin to stay out of the imperial succession dispute, while revealing that the Scholar's Tower supported Second Prince Antonio Griffin. After Kevin passed Mond's test by keeping his opinions to himself, Aldrich and Mond discussed the political importance of MacDonald and Yarvis returning from the border.

• Aldrich advised Kevin not to investigate or discuss the rivalry between First Prince Felix Griffin and Second Prince Antonio Griffin, and admitted that the Scholar's Tower backed Antonio.
• Mond told Kevin that Antonio was the best hope for the empire, but Kevin kept silent about his own doubts and remembered Aldrich's warning.
• Mond tested Kevin on the stairs, then confirmed to Aldrich that Kevin had followed the advice and should not be drawn into their plan.
• Aldrich told Mond that MacDonald and Yarvis were about to return, and they worried whether the influential marshal would remain neutral or support Felix.

Marshal MacDonald returned to the Imperial Capital and met an envoy from the Diaz Family, who asked him to support Felix Griffin as heir to the throne. When MacDonald refused to take sides, the envoy revealed a dagger connected to someone MacDonald cared about, and MacDonald agreed to consider the request.

• Marshal MacDonald returned to his estate and learned that an envoy from the Diaz Family was waiting to see him.
• The envoy asked MacDonald to openly support Felix Griffin as the next Emperor, citing Felix's abilities and noble connections.
• MacDonald refused to interfere in the Emperor's choice and questioned the envoy's claim that the great nobles would support Felix.
• The envoy argued that the Empire should not be entrusted to a son born to a woman of unknown origins, and MacDonald rejected the argument.
• The envoy showed MacDonald an ancient dagger and said the person connected to it was safe, pressuring MacDonald to reconsider.
• MacDonald told the envoy that he would give the Prime Minister's request serious consideration.

Kevin struggled to transcribe a damaged scroll at the Royal Archives and explained the printing press to Lady Vivian Diaz. When Ms. Coleridge returned a book, Vivian followed her with suspicion, and Kevin recognized Coleridge as a Court Official he had seen with Felix.

• Kevin spent the morning copying an ancient scroll by hand and wished for a printing press.
• Lady Vivian Diaz arrived, demanded to know what a printing press was, and heard Kevin explain how it could print books.
• Kevin showed Vivian paper from Aldo before Ms. Coleridge came to the desk to return a book.
• Ms. Coleridge suddenly snatched the book back and searched through it before completing the return.
• Vivian accused Ms. Coleridge of hiding her true colors and followed her, while Kevin noticed Coleridge's cold expression and remembered seeing her with Felix.

Kevin learned that Aldrich Scholar planned to take him on a mission to the Holy See. Meanwhile, the Secret Art Society’s Ten-Man Council discussed escalating the Horn Bay conflict and Barnett’s absence before Aldrich arrived with an urgent request concerning Marshal MacDonald.

• Mond visited Kevin at the Royal Archives, borrowed books, and told him Aldrich Scholar planned to bring him on a mission to the Holy See.
• The Ten-Man Council assessed Auldo’s decline and agreed that their plans required inflaming the conflict in Horn Bay and drawing in the Holy See.
• The Council debated expelling the long-absent Barnett and adding Aldrich Scholar as a member.
• Aldrich Scholar arrived at the meeting and urgently called for action regarding Marshal MacDonald.

Kevin and Mond arrived at the Holy Light Capital as envoys from Gabella and watched a theological argument turn into a brawl. Kevin told the crowd that Earl Greiman had sent fleets to test whether the earth was round, leaving the debaters waiting for the voyage’s results.

• Kevin admired the Holy Light Capital’s bell tower and heard Mond and Aldrich warn him about debating theology with its residents.
• Kevin and Mond learned that the Enlightenment Society was arguing over whether the earth was round, then watched the dispute become a fight.
• Church knights broke up the brawl and scolded both sides.
• Kevin told the crowd that Earl Greiman had dispatched fleets to test whether ships could circle the earth.
• The debaters agreed to meet again when the fleets returned and promised that the wrong side would admit defeat.

Pope Harrington II and Holy See officials discussed the worsening conflict in Horn Bay and decided to support the Horn Bay Church if war broke out. They also considered a book exposing alleged injustices during the witch hunts, but postponed action against it.

• Director Tours reported that armed clashes were escalating between the factions in Horn Bay, while Bloom said both sides rejected the Holy See's mediation.
• Harrington II and the officials discussed how Elvis's witch hunts and the rulers' political ambitions had worsened the crisis.
• Tours argued that war was unavoidable and urged the Holy See to decide which side to support, and Harrington II approved backing the Horn Bay Church.
• Tours presented Records of Injustices, a book criticizing the Church's witch hunts, and warned that cheaper Aldo paper could help it spread.
• Harrington II dismissed the book as false, while Bloom advised focusing on the coming war and delaying action against its circulation.

Bishop Walsh reported that the Enlightenment Society had caused a public disturbance near foreign envoys’ residences, prompting Pope Harrington II to order a warning and ordinary legal penalties. Harrington II then received Gabella’s support through Aldrich and learned that Aldrich was interested in the Holy See’s position on Cape Bay, where Anthony claimed everything was under control.

• Bishop Walsh told Harrington II that members of the Enlightenment Society had caused a disturbance near foreign envoys and embarrassed the Holy City.
• Harrington II ordered Tours to warn the society’s leaders and Walsh to handle those responsible as an ordinary public-order case.
• Aldrich delivered a letter from Gabella’s emperor pledging support for the Holy See, and Harrington II asked to announce its contents to neighboring nations.
• At a banquet, Harrington II asked Aldrich whether Gabella’s emperor had chosen an heir, then introduced Anthony as a young cardinal who had returned from Cape Bay.
• Aldrich asked Anthony about Cape Bay, and Anthony said the situation was under control as the Church officials toasted a swift return to order.

Friedrich Lister traveled toward Collins to discuss exporting silk and tea, but witch hunters stopped his carriage and demanded money before allowing him through. After paying for an indulgence, Lister continued toward his business meeting.

• Lister explained to the coachman that he was traveling to Collins to discuss business with Earl Bridges.
• Riders surrounded the carriage, and their leader identified them as Collins witch hunters and ordered Lister to submit to an inspection.
• The leader tested Lister for witchcraft, then accused him of insincere faith and threatened to bar him from Collins.
• The coachman signaled Lister to pay, and Lister gave the leader one silver coin for an indulgence.
• The witch hunters left, and Lister and the coachman continued their journey.

Friedrich Lister attended Earl Bridges's banquet in Collins, where local elites sought direct trade with Aldo and he struggled to fit into their society. He befriended Cable, who told him his mother had been accused of being a Witch.

• Earl Bridges invited Lister to a banquet and introduced him to Collins's prominent figures as a representative of Todd Shipping Company.
• The guests urged Lister to tell Aldo merchants to trade directly with Collins instead of relying on the coastal countries, and he agreed vaguely.
• Lister found the inland nobles difficult to socialize with and noticed Cable sitting apart from the other guests.
• Lister approached Cable, who explained that he was distressed because his mother had been accused of being a Witch.

Lister met Cable and learned that Cable's mentor, court astrologer Degu Bral Viscount, had secured help for Cable's falsely accused mother. Degu introduced himself to Lister at the banquet and explained that his metal nose was a replacement after he lost his original in a duel.

• Lister sympathized with Cable, who said his mother had been falsely accused of witchcraft and imprisoned.
• Cable's mentor arrived and said Longbow Priest Lambert would send someone to investigate, so Cable's mother could return home within three days.
• Cable introduced his mentor, Degu Bral Viscount, as King Collins's court astrologer.
• Degu greeted Lister and explained that a sword duel over a mathematical argument had cost him his nose.
• Cable praised Degu's sharp eyes and detailed astronomical records, and Degu laughed proudly.

Lister attended a banquet at Earl Bridges's mansion, where Viscount Degu Bral spoke against war, then learned the next morning that Bral had died. After the death was ruled not to be murder, Lister resumed his investigation into Collins's business and left town, only to see a carriage racing toward him.

• Lister listened as Viscount Degu Bral opposed a war with the coastal people and criticized those eager to fight.
• The next morning, Earl Bridges told Lister that Bral had died, and a City Garrison knight questioned the guests because murder was suspected.
• The City Garrison later declared that Bral had not been murdered and released the guests from the inquiry.
• Lister investigated Collins's commercial situation for a week, then bought a horse and left the city with a token from Earl Bridges.
• Lister encountered a carriage racing toward him on the road, though no one appeared to be chasing it.

Cable fled Collins with his mother after challenging the official account of his Mentor Degu Bral Viscount’s death and receiving a warning to leave. Lister helped them settle in Niceburg, where they learned that Collins had accused Cable of murdering his Mentor for his astronomical records.

• Lister encountered Cable and his mother on the road, and Cable concealed the reason for their hurried journey.
• Cable recalled how the Magistrate claimed Degu Bral Viscount had died from a ruptured bladder and warned him against alleging a conspiracy.
• Cable asked to have his Mentor’s body examined, then found a red note telling him to leave Collins immediately and fled with his mother.
• Cable explained what happened to Lister after they reached Horn Bay Alliance territory, and Lister helped them settle in Niceburg.
• Cable and Lister heard that Collins had accused Cable of murdering his Mentor to steal his astronomical records.

Stanford’s Northern Exploration Fleet surveyed the coast beyond the Northwest Bay and made contact with a human village, trading metal tools and cloth for food. With their supplies replenished, Stanford and the ship leaders considered extending the voyage farther north.

• Stanford recalled the fleet’s northward survey and its discovery of an orc-inhabited peninsula and human natives along the coast.
• The first mate exchanged gifts with the natives, and Stanford rejected a sailor’s suggestion to trade broken glass for supplies.
• Stanford led the Exploration Team to the natives’ village and traded metal tools, cotton cloth, and thread for grain and dried meat.
• Stanford summoned the leaders of the three ships to discuss extending the voyage now that the fleet had more food.

Commander Stanford led the Northern Exploration Fleet through the Land of Eternal Night, where the crew witnessed a brilliant display of lights before suffering a shipwreck, disease, and the loss of most of their people. After reaching the Stag Tribe and finding the harbor frozen, Stanford set out overland toward Aldo with thirty subordinates who refused to wait for spring.

• Stanford explained that the fleet's twenty-four-hour darkness was a natural effect of traveling far north, calming some of the frightened sailors.
• The crew witnessed a colorful curtain of light across the night sky, and Stanford recorded it as a miracle before ordering the fleet to continue north.
• Stanford's command ship ran aground and sank, killing more than a dozen crew members and costing the fleet nearly half its supplies, so he ordered the two remaining ships to turn back.
• Illness spread across both ships, and the Northern Exploration Fleet returned to the Stag Tribe with only a little over a hundred of its original three hundred members.
• The harbor froze, and Stanford agreed to lead thirty subordinates south overland toward Aldo while his deputy stayed behind to command the fleet.

Caught in a snowstorm, Stanford’s team sheltered in a cavern and spotted an approaching group of orcs. Stanford met their speaker, Finn, who revealed that the orcs were merchants seeking shelter too, and Stanford agreed to share the cavern.

• Stanford’s team discovered a hand-carved tomb and took shelter from the snowstorm inside.
• Stanford spotted a large group approaching and warned his men to prepare for trouble.
• Stanford led the team onto the slope and formed a defensive line as the group drew near.
• Stanford approached the group’s envoy, who spoke Aldo Language and identified himself as Finn, a traveling merchant.
• Finn asked to shelter in the cavern with his caravan, and Stanford agreed.

Stanford spoke with Finn, an orc caravan leader, and learned that dwarves controlled the Rocky Mountains and made them perilous for outsiders to cross. As snow fell, both groups settled in for the night, while an elder orc hinted that the mountains might soon cease to be a forbidden zone.

• Stanford and Finn talked after the human explorers and orc caravan settled into the cave, and Stanford said his team had come seeking furs before their ship sank.
• Finn warned Stanford that dwarves controlled the Rocky Mountains, used their knowledge of its tunnels and terrain to confound outsiders, and were hostile to other races.
• Finn returned to his caravan and told an elder orc that Stanford’s group had crossed the sea, astonishing the nearby orcs.
• The elder orc said the mountain range would not remain a forbidden zone much longer, and both groups posted watches before sleeping.